Flush receptacle



Patented Sept. l, .193i

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE CAR. M. PETERSEN, OF TRENTON, PNEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR'TO CIRCLE F MFG. C0., 0F

TRENToN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION oF NEW JERSEY ELusH RECEPTACLE Application filed April 25,

"lhis invention has particular reference to improvements in plug receptacles of the so.- ealled flush type.

i A primary object of the invention is to provide a receptacle made of moldable insulating material, such for example as bakelite, and which eliminates as far as possible all metallic supporting or carrying parts which require insulation between them and `the current conducting parts of the device'.

as well as useful standpoint.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel molded insulated cover or closure plate for the rearface of the receptacle body, having means for insulating the contact springs and also servlng as a key to assist 1n preventlng sldewise movement of the'cover, as well as carry.-

.ing means cooperating with the body for securing the coyer in place' and avoiding breaking or fracturmg thereof under pres-A sure otothe fastening means.v

With the foregoing)general purposes in view, the 'invention conslsts 1n the novel featuresof construction, combination andarrangement of partsas will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings. and defined in the appended claims.

ln the drawings, wherein like characters of referencev denote corresponding parts in the different viewsg- Figure 1 is a frit elevationJ of aplug receptacle constructed in accordance. with the present invention.

the backing view of theV receptacle. l 1

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the 'line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse.. section on the line 5o 5 5 'of Fig.. 1.

1929. Serial'No. 358,050.

Fig. 6 is a plan View ofthe backing member looking towards the inner face thereof; and

Fig 7 is a view similar to Figs. 4 and 5 illustrating an alternative embodiment of backing reinforcing means.

As previously indicated the present invention aims to provide a receptacle wherein Vinsulating material is used to advantage to secure the necessary strength for the receptacle body aswell as the cover therefor, thereby avoiding the use of metallic supports or straps as heretofore proposed in the art.

For example, in a form of receptacle now in use there is employed an insulating body recessed for ythe .reception of contacts and closed at lts rear face y 'a sheet of insulation which lsmalntained 1n assembled relation with the body by a metallic strap. This strap ex.

tends over the ends of the body and terminates in ears which receive fastenings for mounting the entire assembly in an outlet box. This construction however, is open to various objections particularly from a manufacturing standpoint, as it embodies an excessive number ofv parts more or less difficult and expensive to produce and assemble. The pres nt invention therefore has in view to simp ify the construction and reduce the cost of plug receptacles of thc foregoing type by providing a molded insulating backing for the plug body, by providing securing means for said backingwhich eliminates the necessity of providing any form of holding strap therefor, and by providing simple means, entirely independent of the backing and its securing means, for nbounting the receptacle in an outlet box.

Accordingly, the present invention contemplates in its general organization a onepiece,molded insulating body 'irovided with a contact chamber or cham ers opening through the rear face thereof, contacts disposed within said chamber or chamber-s, a one-piece, molded insulating cover or backing for closing the Arear face of said body, simple yet efficient means for securing the cover in assembly with the body, and separate means for mounting the body in an outlet box.

- i Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates generally'tlie body ofthe present plug receptacle and Bthe backmg or oo ver for the rear face thereof, the body A belng constructed to accomodate two setsof receptacle contacts arranged-in parallel 1n a single fitting, and the backing B being constructed to provide a common closure forv both, sets of contacts.

In accordance with common practice the body yA is molded from insulating material to providel a pair of bays 10, 10v and a web 11 connecting them, the outer face ofthe web being depressed whereby the outer portions of the bays constitute bosses adapted to be received in similarly shaped openlngs 1n' a 1 face' plate 7.

Formed integrally with and extending I rearwardly from 'the bays 10, 10 and the web 1,3 and end walls 14.V Near the end walls of' las 11 is an elongated, rectangrggularly-shaped,`

box-like structure 12 consisting of side walls this box-like structure the side walls thereof are connected together by partition-walls 15, while connecting eac .of these partition walls with its related end wall 14 is a partition wall 16. The result is that a pair of contact chambers 1-7 is provided at each end of the box-like structure 12, which chambers are disposed in alinement with contact finger receiving slots 18 formed in the bays 110, 10. In addition,each of the side walls 13, interl mediate its ends, has 'a slot 19 formed therein and opening through the rear edge thereof.

The two metallic contact elements of the' present plug receptacle are duplicates of one another, each -consisting of a strap 20 rovided at eachend thereof with a contact nger 21 and, iiltermediately thereof, with a terminal ear 22 provided with a' bindlng screw 23. Said ear and' said fingers are formed at opposite side edges ofthe strap -and are bent to extend in the same direction at substantially right angles to the-plane of the strap. HIn assembly, the straps 20 lie with their outer edges contiguous to the inner faces of the side walls 13 of the box-like structure 12, and with their rear faces flush with the rear face of said box-like structure,

, the rear edges of the partition walls A15,

- across which said straps extend, being de- I' sulating material.

pressed to accommodate said straps.. The terminal ear 22 of each strap lies against the outer face of its related side wall 13, the

5 binding screw 23 being accommodated by the when placed in covering relation `tb the rear face ofthe box-like structure 12 its side edges are disposed flush with the outer faces of the side and end walls'13 and 14 of said box-like body. Formed integrally -with said backing and projecting from the inner face thereof is a rib 24 of such length as to fit neatly at its ends between the adjacent fa'ces Y 0f the `partition walls15, 15, and of such width as to fit neatly between the adjacent f edges ofthe contact straps 20. Thus, this ribi'by cperation with the partition walls 7'5 15 and the contact straps 20 holds the backing against any movement in the plane thereof with respect to the boX-lilie structure 12.

Any suitable'means may be employed to secure the backing B in covering relation to the rear face of the body portion 12. In the present instance a post 25 is embedded at one end in the Ymaterial of the backing during the process of molding the backing, the embedded end of said post being headed or flanged as g5 indicated at 26 whereby it is uincapable of being pulled from, thebacking without fracturing or shearing. the latter. l Said post is located centrally of the backing, extends for- A wardly from the rearfacethereof, and at its 9o free end is bored and internally threaded. An opening 27 is formed through the web 11, and when the backing is disposed against the rear face of the body portion 12 the free end of the post 25 projectsinto this open- 95 ing, the backing being secured in assembly'with the body A by spinning over thev outer end portion of the post againstI an outer portion of the web 11, said web preferably being suitably recessed to receive .the spun over portion of the post whereby the outer end of the latter lies flush with or inwardly of the outer face of said web.

v In order to eliminate the possibility of the post 25 being pulled from the backing by 105 excessivetightening of the screw 28 which -is threaded into the post 25 and provided to secure ther'face plate lin assembly with theV body a sleeve 29.is provided to surround the post between the adjacent faces of the' web- 110 11 and the backing, this sleeve constituting aV compression member through' which any longitudinal pulling force exerted through the post by the screw 28 is transmitted fromv the head 26 of the post through the niaterial 115 of the backing and said sleeve to the inner face of the Web 11.v Thus, when the screw 28 is tightened the small amount of mate' rialhetween the head 26 of the post andthe inner face of the'backing is reinforced byl 120 the sleeve 'so\that said material is Lsubjected only to compressive strains, pulling of the post from: the backing under such conditions being practically impossible.

The sleeve29 may be formed as an element separate from the body A and the ba'cle .ing B as shown in Figs. 3 and, or it may be formed as an integralpart of either the body A or the backing. In Fig. 7 it is illus- 130 las an entirety in an outlet box.

trated as being formed integrally with the backing B.

By reason of the foregoing method of securing the backing B in assembly with the body A the necessity of any form of backing securing strap extending across the rear ace of the backing is eliminated] as is maniest.

According to the present invention very simple, inexpensive and eflicient means is provided for mounting the plug receptacle It will be noted that the bays 10, l0 extend outwardly beyond the ends of the box-like structure L2 and that in accordance with the present improvements headed rivet inserts 30 are embedded in the extended portions of said bays. The outer end portions of these rivet inserts are reduced in diameter as indicated at 31, thereby providing shoulders which lie flush with the inner faces-of recesses 32 formed in the extending portions of the'bays. Metallic ears 33 of awidth to l'it neatly in said recesses with their inner ends abutting Y-the outer faces of the end walls 14 of the body portion 12, are provided with apertures to receive the reduced ends of the rivet inserts, which latter', following positioning of said ears lin said recesses, are headed over against the outer faces of the ears thereby to rigidly signature.

CARL M. PETERSEN.

secure the latter to the body A. Said ears extend outwardly from said body and are apertured as at 34 to receive screws or other fasteners for securing the receptacle in an outlet box in a manner which is well known.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope 1. A plug receptacle inclusive of a molded insulating body, contact means carried by said body, amolded insulating backing for covering the rear face of-said body, a rib molded integrally with said backingcooperating with said contact means to prevent movement of said backing in the plane thereof relatively to said body, and means for securing said backing in covering relation to the rear face of said body.

2. A plug receptacle comprising a body recessed from" its rear face to provide a contact chamber, a backing for closing the rear face ofsaid body, a member secured to the backing, a w'all plate for cooperation with the front of the body, and a screw extending through said wall plate and threaded into said member to detachably secure the wall plate in assembly with the body.

3. A plug receptacle comprising a body recessed from its rear face to provide va c'onof the appended claims. 

